Street-car



J. BOBIAN. STREET CAR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-16, I918. 1,338,959. Patented Mar. 16,1920.

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L 3 IlIDIIl-lill s innlllluil I. BOBIIAN. STREET CAR.

J. BOBIAN.

STREET CAR.

'APPUCATION FILED DEC115, 1918. p 1,333,959. Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

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FIG. 10.

J. BOBIAN.

STREET CAR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC 16, I918.

Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4- UNITED STATES PATENT orr on.

JOHN noBIAN, or soornwnsr, rmmsYLvAmA.

STREET-CAR.

Specificationof Letters Patent. t te 1 ,19

Application filed December 16, I918. Serial No. 26$,938.

' To all whom it man concern:

Be it known that I, J oHNBoBrAn, a subject of the Emperor of Austria, residing at Southwest, in the county of Westmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

The primary object of the inventlon is the provision of a car that is readily convertible for summer and winter use by changing the form thereof to an open or Closedcar at will, the car also presenting a pleasing appearance at all times.

A further object of the invention is to provide a convertible car arranged for shifting portions thereof totheir open or closed positions by means of power whereby substantially the entire sides of the car may be easily and quickly retracted for providing an open car and again quickly returning the same to closed position.

llith these general objects in view, the invention consists of the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter de scribed in connection with the accompanying drawings and in which like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a portion ofa. street car provided with my invention and illustrated closed withgparts broken away. I

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view thereof with the sides retracted providing an open form of car.

Fig. 3 is a View similar to substantially one-half of Fig. 2 with the side of the car closed;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical transverse sectional view of a side of a closed car.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 with the side members open.

F 1g. 6 is an enlarged horizontal sectional detail view showing the manner of attaching the windows for operating the same.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken upon line VIII-VIII of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a horizontal sectional view adjacent the bottom of the car illustrating a por tion of the operating mechanism.

Fig. 10 is a horizontal detail view adjacent the top of the car. v

Fig. 11 1s a perspective view of the car bottom frame-work showing the formation of the side posts "and'the position of the adjustable side of the car body, and

Fig. 12 is a top plan view of the operative connections for the side and window operating mechanism. V

My street car provides a. frame-work 10 for the bottom of the car having upright spaced side posts 11 of channel formation, a hollow top or roof 1'2 being mounted upon said posts 11 while a vestibule 13 is arranged at the end of the car. 4

.The opposite sides of the car body between the bottom frame 10 and the roof 12 are each composed of a flexible side 14and windows 15 when the car side is closed. The flexible side 14 is 'iirthe'form of a strip of material such as heavy rubber bent for sliding laterally'inwardly and out of longi-' tudinal slots 14 in the transverse beam 16 ofthe bottom frame 10 while guide'plates 17 are mounted outwardly and spaced from the posts 11 permitting the side member 14 to be drawn upwardly between said posts and plates. I

A bar 18 strengthens the upper edge of the side member 14 and is positioned'horizontally adjacent the upper-ends of the plates 17 when the side 14 is in its projected position at the side of the car, the said bar 18 at such times forming a window sill adjacent the seats 19 of the car. lVhile the side member 14 extends from one end of the car to the other, separate windows 15 are employed positioned outwardly of and sliding upon vertical flanges 20 of the post 11, a window 15 being in this manner provided between each pair of posts ,11 for, closing.

of a shaft 22 adapted to be driven by a motor 23 positioned at any convenient point upon the car, a lever 24 being provided to control a clutch 25 for the motor whereby the two shafts 22 will be simultaneously operated in opposite directions whenever desired for either opening or closing the side members 14 and windows 15.

A flexible operating member such as a chain 26 is provided upon sprocket wheels 27 carried by the shaft 22, one end of each chain being attached as at 28 to the edge of the adjacent flexible side 14, while the opp0-' site end of each chain 26 is secured as at 29 to a rope 30 adapted for traveling over a pulley 31 at the bottom of the adjacent post 11 and thence upwardly through such post and over. a sheave 32 journaled adjacent the top thereof. 7 The other end of each rope 30 is secured to an arm 33 inwardly projecting from the sill bar 18 of the adjacent side member 14. A block 34: is slidably positioned within the channel of each post 11 secured to the rope 30 which travels upwardly and downwardly within said post, such attachment being shown at 35. Angular arms 36 project from each block 341 and are trunnioned as at 37 in the adjacent windows so that the windows are elevated and lowered during the sliding movements of the blocks 34; occasioned by shifting the ropes by means of the sprocket chains 26, heretofore described.

WVhen the street car is desired for use in warm weather, the flexible side members 1 1 and the windows 15 are moved in opposite directions by shifting the lever 2 1 to operate the clutch 25 and upon starting themotor 23 turn the shafts 22 in the required direction for drawing the lower lap or porwardly, thereby carrying the windows 15 upwardly under the flanges 20 and com-' pletely into the space 39 within the hollow 7 top 12 of the car as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5 of the drawings. Arcuate slots 40 in the upper portions of the posts 11 receive and limit the upward movements of the window carrying arms 36 while the turning of the shafts 22 and sprocket wheels 27 is suitably regulated for moving the windows 15 and side members 1 1 only to the extent desired.

Upon reversing the motor 23, the chains 23 will be reversely moved for pulling down wardly upon the inner portions of the ropes 30 which will carry the windows 15 downwardly to substantially meet the sill bars 18 of the side members 14 which will be pulled upwardly by the upwardly moving outer portions of the ropes 30. I

What I claim as new is 1. A car comprising a bottom frame and a roof, spaced side posts connected therebetween, a flexible side member laterally slidable outwardly of said posts and inwardly of the frame, windows slidable between said posts inwardly and outwardly of the roof, ropes having their ends connected to the upper and lower edges of the flexible side member with the ropes and side member arranged in endless formation, and connections between the ropes and the lower ends of the windows whereby the side members and windows are moved simultaneously in opposite directions.

2. A car having a bottom frame provided with longitudinal slots, spaced posts at the side of said frame, a hollow roof upon said posts, a flexible side member slidable within said slots with a portion thereof outwardly of said posts adapted for extending-midway of the height of the posts when said side member is projected in its operative position, windows slidably arranged between said posts adapted for positioning within said hollow roof when elevated, ropes having their ends connected to the upper and lower edges of the flexible side member with the ropes and side member arranged in endless formation, and connections between the ropes and the lower ends of the windows whereby the side members and windows are moved simultaneously in opposite directions.

3. A car having a bottom frame provided with longitudinal slots, spaced posts at the side of said frame, a hollow roof upon said posts, a flexible side member slidable within said slots with a portion thereof outwardly ofsaid posts adapted for extending midway of the height of the posts when said side member is projected in its operative position, longitudinal flanges upon the upper portions of said posts, windows slidabl'y mounted. upon said flanges between the posts adapted for reception within said hollow roof when the windows are elevated, ropes having their ends connected to the upper and lower edges of the flexible side member with the ropes and side member arranged in endless formation, and connections between the ropes and the lower ends of the windows whereby the side members and windows are moved simultaneously in op posite directions.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. 7

' JOHN BYOB'IAN. 

